Barsaat Ki Raat

Amaan Hyderabadi is a talented and struggling Urdu poet and lyricist trying to make a mark in the world of music. Shabnam, who has not seen him yet, loves his songs and poetry. For his job, he travels to his friend Inspector Shekhar's house to perform his own songs live on All India Radio. One rainy night, he seeks shelter and also meets Shabnam – whom he can't get out of his mind. Through Shekhar, he meets the family of police commissioner Khan Bahadur and encounters the eldest daughter, none other than Shabnam. Luck comes his way as he is appointed as a tutor for Shabnam's little sister Razia. During lessons, Aman and Shabnam grow closer. Khan Bahadur overhears their conversations, not being much impressed due to Amaan's poverty. He insults and expels Amaan from their house and forbids any contact. Shabnam sees elopement with Amaan as her only hope. Their escape plan is discovered and her father swiftly fixes a devastated Shabnam's marriage with Aftab Ahmed of Lucknow against her wish. Khan Bahadur sets off for Lucknow with his family. Amaan also arrives in Lucknow in search of his fortune. Coincidentally, Amaan discovers that Aftab, the friend in whose house he is staying, is actually the future husband of his lady love Shabnam. Amaan leaves Aftab's house without informing him. Meanwhile, Amaan's old friends Shabab and Shama arrive in Lucknow to participate in a qawwali competition, in which they keep losing. Shama is in love with Amaan, but he does not know this. Amaan begins to compose shayaris for the competition and very quickly he carves a niche for himself in the musical world. However, submerged in the painful memory of his lost love Shabnam, Amaan does not realise Shama's love for him. Soon, he becomes the heart and soul of Shama's musical troupe. With Amaan's beautiful voice and shayaris, Shama's group attains popularity and wins the competition. A shattered and imprisoned Shabnam overhears Amaan's voice on radio and learns that Amaan is still in Lucknow. Shabnam somehow reaches one of Aman's poetic duels. Shama faints during the program when she learns that Amaan is in love with someone else. Her illness gives a platform for Shabnam and Amaan to meet each other. Khan Bhadur and Shekhar reach the spot searching for the missing Shabnam. At this point Shabnam's mother revolts against Khan Bahadur, for she wants her daughter to be happy. At the end, Khan Bhadur gives in and the lovers reunite on another rainy night. == Cast ==

• Madhubala as Shabnam • Bharat Bhushan as Amaan Hyderabadi / Mirza Kamal Lakhnauwi • Shyama as Shama • Ratna Bhushan as Shabab, Shama's sister • K. N. Singh as Police commissioner Khan Bahadur (Shabnam's father) • Mumtaz Begum as Begum Khan Bahadur (Shabnam's mother) • Chandrashekhar as Inspector Shekhar (Amaan's friend) • Baby Shobha as Razia (Shabnam's sister) • Peace Kanwal as Barrister Aftab Ahmed • Praveen Paul as Aftab's mother • Rashid Khan as Advocate Sudhakar • Khurshid Bawra as Shashi Sources: == Themes ==

The story features a number of innovative themes while maintaining the basic form of a love story. It has particularly strong female characters who are independent-minded and choose their own loves and destiny. Conflicts are not so much between the wishes of the parents and children about whom the children will marry, as is a common theme in Indian movies, but among the main characters and the duplicitous signals men and women send each other. The movie glorifies the lives of "singing girls" not often regarded highly in Indian society. Although it features Muslim characters, the movie seamlessly shows the universality of sensual love. == Soundtrack ==

The soundtrack of Barsaat Ki Raat was composed by Roshan, and lyrics were penned by Sahir Ludhianavi. It was the second best-selling soundtrack of 1960 after Mughal-e-Azam. The song "Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi" was a chartbuster, and was on the top in the Binaca Geetmala's annual list of 1960. The popular qawwalis “Na To Karavan Ki Talash Hai” and “Yeh Ishq Ishq Hai” were both inspired by the classic 1950s Sufi qawwali “Na To Butkade Ki Talab Mujhe”. This original piece was written by Ameer Bakhsh Sabri and composed and performed by the Pakistani qawwali duo Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s father and uncle, respectively). Similarly, the film’s other notable qawwali, “Nigah-e-Naaz Ke Maaron Ka Haal Kya Hoga” (often shortened to “Nigah-e-Naaz Ke”), drew its melodic inspiration and central hook from Fateh Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan's qawwali “Sahar Qareeb Hai Taaron Ka Haal Kya Hoga,” particularly adapting the line “Teri nigah ke maaron ka haal kya hoga.” Producer R. Chandra, elder brother of the film’s lead actor Bharat Bhushan, had personally obtained permission from Fateh Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan before adapting their qawwalis for the soundtrack, although the original artists never received any formal credit. Reportedly, R. Chandra had first approached composer Khayyam for the project. == Reception ==

Box office Barsaat Ki Raat was released on 9 December 1960, to a positive response from critics and audience. In India, the film had a box office gross of ₹3.5 crore, with a nett of ₹1.75 crore, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1960. Box Office magazine calculated its inflation-adjusted gross by comparing the collection with the price of gold in 1960, which gave it an adjusted gross of ₹785.88 crore in 2011. Critical reception Contemporary reviews were generally positive. On 30 December, The Indian Express noted Santoshi's direction and performances, particularly of Madhubala and Shyama. Most of the praise was directed towards the film's "outstanding feature", the qawwalis. Writer Monica Kar, in a typical mixed review, found the story to be "a little predictable and not very exciting by modern standards" but its treatment to be "delightful". Madhubala's dramatic performance has been especially noted by critics and is cited to be one of the finest of her career. == Legacy ==

Barsaat Ki Raat is considered a milestone in the history of Indian cinema and is known for popularizing the romantic musical genre in films. == See also ==